741108 - Lecture SB 03.25.08 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741108SB-BOMBAY - November 08, 1974 - 37:28 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

tasya tvaṁ tamaso 'ndhasya

duṣpārasyādya pāragam

sac-cakṣur janmanām ante

labdhaṁ me tvad-anugrahāt

(SB 3.25.8)

(break)

"Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance, because You are my transcendental eye which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births."

Prabhupāda:

tasya tvaṁ tamasa andhasya

duṣpārasyādya pāragam

sac-cakṣur janmanām ante

labdhaṁ me tvad-anugrahāt

(SB 3.25.8)

So sac-cakṣur, to see oneself and to see God, it is not very easy. Janmanām ante. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Jñānavān. The so-called learned scholars, Vedāntists, so-called Vedāntists . . . one who is actual Vedānt . . . knower of Vedānta, he understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Because veda means knowledge, and anta, "The last phase." Knowledge, there are different types of knowledge. Ordinary knowledge, as we are now interested for economic benefit, that is not actual knowledge. That is art of livelihood. That is not knowledge. Suppose you are a very big engineer, and another man is ordinary electric mistri. The qualification is the same, earning livelihood by some art. If there is some wrong in the electric line, I cannot repair it, I call one mistri. He knows the art. He immediately revives the electric current. So this sort of knowledge is called śilpa, śilpa-jñāna, "Artistic knowledge." That is not knowledge. Real knowledge is Vedic knowledge, Vedānta knowledge: to know oneself, "What I am, what is God, Bhagavān, what is my relation with Him, and what is my duty, and what is the ultimate goal of life." This is knowledge. Etaj jñānaṁ tad ajñānam anyathāyathā (BG 13.12). Kṛṣṇa says: "This is jñānam." Kṣetra-kṣetra-jña-jñānam. If one can understand oneself and the Supreme Self and what is this material world, why we have come here, what is my relation with God, what is my relation with this world, this is knowledge. They are called jñānavān. Jñānavān, they are searching after knowledge. Ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya.

This knowledge begins, inquisitiveness, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was minister, very big minister of Bengal, Nawab Hussain Shah's government. He left everything. He resigned from the post and became follower of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So when he met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Vārāṇasī, at that time, he placed this question, that ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. This is the inquisitiveness, knowledge. Tāpa-traya. Tāpa-traya means three kinds of miserable condition: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. We are suffering always. Ātmā means body and mind—even soul. But soul is aloof from body and mind, but he is absorbed. On account of material contamination, the soul feels the pains and pleasure of mind and body on account of contact. So this is called adhyātmika. And adhibhautika: pains given by other living entities. Even if you sit down silently, without any, mean, cares, still the mosquito will come and bite you. Or the bugs will come and bite you at night. And there are other—dogs and cats and envious person, serpents. So many enemies. Even if you want to remain peaceful, the other living entities will not allow you to remain peaceful. This is material existence. You have got this body. From the body you'll have to suffer. At least, you have to suffer śītoṣṇa. When it is scorching heat, you'll have to suffer. Why you are running on this fan? Because you are feeling heat, extraordinary. Therefore you invented this fan. Or mosquito curtain. Just struggle. This is called adhibhautika.

Then adhidaivika. If there is no rain, there will be no food production, and the rice will go eight rupees per kilo. And you have to suffer. Durbhikṣa. Even people are not willing to give you bhikṣā. "Because the rice is so costly, how can I give?" That is called durbhikṣa. Durbhikṣa means when you do not get even bhikṣā. This is the most lowest profession. It is highest also. The sannyāsīs, they go door to door, bhikṣā. Brahmacārī go to door to door. Our Vedic civilization is that in the society there are four divisions: the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha and the sannyāsī. Suppose there are hundred men in a village or in a place—the society is divided into four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha . . . so . . . this is material calculation. Suppose if there are hundred men, seventy-five men are to be considered brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī. So these seventy-five men will live at the cost of the twenty-five men, gṛhastha. Gṛhastha has to give alms to the brahmacārī, to the vānaprastha and to the sannyāsa. Just see how nice communism. The one twenty-five-percent group, they are earning, and they are maintaining seventy-five men. So they are living by bhikṣā. Brahmacārī will go door to door, "Mother, give me alms," and they'll give. The sannyāsī will go. So when this bhikṣā will not be available, that is called durbhikṣa, famine. This is adhibhautika, adhibhautika . . . er, adhidaivika. You have no control.

That is coming gradually. The more people are becoming godless, the more there will be scarcity of food. Because nature is the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mama māyā. The nature is the maidservant. Nature is mother, Goddess Durgā, material nature. But she is not independent. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā, Mother Durgā, is so powerful that she can make, create. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti. She can maintain. Maintenance also in her power. So because she is the maidservant of Kṛṣṇa . . . chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā. Durgā bibharti, maintains. But it works like chāya. Icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. She is not independent. She works under the direction of Govinda. And Govinda says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10): "Under My order." So prakṛti will be unkind. As you have seen, the Mother Durgā is chastising the asura on the chest; the trident, triśūla, is piercing. Why? Because he's asura. Asura means nondevotee. The asura. Sura and asura. There are two kinds of men: daiva āsura eva ca. Dvau bhūta-sargau loke daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). There are two kinds of men in the world. One is called daiva, devatā, demigods, and the other is called asura. You have heard about the devatā and asura, there is always fight. Daivāsura. So who is asura, who is deva? Viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ bhaved daivaḥ. Those who are devotees of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, they are devatā. Āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And those who are not devotee of Viṣṇu but other demigods, even if he's devotee of Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, he's to be considered as asura.

Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, but he's considered as asura, rākṣasa. Nobody gives him credit. You have got . . . seen the rāma-līlā. Rāvaṇa is insulted. But he was a great devotee of Lord Śiva. You know that. Why he's insulted? Because he was not a Vaiṣṇava. He was against Rāmacandra. Therefore he's asura. When he was in danger, when Rāmacandra was in his front to kill him, so he began to offer his prayer, Rāvaṇa, "Please come and protect me." He knew that, "I cannot be saved from the arrow of Lord Rāmacandra." That he knew very well. Therefore he was praying to Lord Śiva, "Please come and save me." But Lord Śiva could not come and save. Pārvatī was requesting him that "Your, such a great devotee, he's in danger, and he's praying to . . . for protection, and you are not going?" Lord Śiva said: "What shall I do? I cannot give him protection." Therefore the simple word is rākhe kṛṣṇa māre ke and māre kṛṣṇa rākhe ke. If Kṛṣṇa wants to kill somebody, nobody can give protection. It is not possible. And if Kṛṣṇa wants to protect somebody, nobody can kill him. This is the . . .

So asura and deva, there are two kinds of men. Viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ bhaved daiva āsuras tad . . . it is Vedic injunction. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ . . . Ṛg-veda mantra. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. This is the Vedic mantra. Sūrayaḥ, those who are learned, advanced people, they look forward for the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu. So this viṣṇu-bhakta . . . Here it is said, tasya tvaṁ tamasaḥ andhasya duṣpārasyādya pāragam. If you want to get relief from this duṣpārasya andhasya . . . we have already tried to understand that this material world is andha, andhakāra. It is simply darkness. Just see, now it is dark. Because the sun is not visible, it is just on the opposite side of the sun, therefore we are in darkness. Actually, the position of this material world is darkness. Just like here is now electric light. If the, some way or other, the current is off, it will be dark. Everyone knows it. We require artificial light because it is darkness. So Kṛṣṇa has given this artificial light both day and night. In the day there is sunshine, and there is moonshine at night.

Because without light you cannot work. Without . . . you are very much proud of your eyes: "Can you show me God?" So the answer will be, "Have you got the eyes to see God? You rascal, you want to see God. Have you got the eyes to see God?" "No, sir." "Then why you want to see God?" God can be seen in a different way. God can be seen . . . premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). When you will be devotee, lover of God, then, by that ointment, your eyes will be cleared and you will be seeing God. Now, here is God, Kṛṣṇa. Here is God. Why the people in Bombay, those who are challenging, "Can you show me God?" they do not come here? Because they have no love. A few devotees here, they understand that here is God. They can see here is God. But the rascals, they cannot see God. So even though he has got eyes, he cannot see God. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25).

So to see God you have to make your eyes cleansed. Just like with cataractic eyes you cannot see anything. Everything is dark. But if you have operation, the cataract is taken away, then you can see. Similarly, with these eyes, these material eyes, you cannot see God. Not only you see God, you cannot understand Him, although His name is there. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Nāmādi. To understand God means to understand first of all His name, nāmādi. Therefore . . . from the beginning with nāma. Therefore Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra means the name of God. God is not different from His name. Absolute. "Kṛṣṇa" and the Kṛṣṇa person is the same. I have already explained that absolute means Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's place, Kṛṣṇa's dress, Kṛṣṇa's throne, Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, everything Kṛṣṇa, they are not different. Advaya-jñāna. So Kṛṣṇa is there in the name, in the form, but because we have no love for Him, we cannot see. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). Those who have developed God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love for God . . . unless they have got love for God, why they have sacrificed their life for Kṛṣṇa? They could earn. They know how to earn money in America, and there is money also. Here if, even if I know how to earn money, there is no money. But America is not like that. You can earn money like anything. Like anything.

I went to America, I had forty rupees. Now I have got more than forty lakhs. (laughter) Yes. It is fact. Our American property, it is not forty lakhs—forty crores. So it is not joke. If you want to earn money and if you have got little brain, you can earn money in America like anything. That's a fact. Because the bank is canvassing, "You want money?" Here, if I want some money in business, I have to flatter so many men: "Please give me money. Please give me money." But in America the bank is canvassing: "For this business purpose you want money? Take money." That facility is there. Therefore anyone who wants money to do something, the money is immediately supplied. If you want to purchase one house, one lakh-worth . . . in America you cannot get any house with one lakh. At least four lakhs, five lakhs, ten lakhs. So if you have got ten thousand rupees in your pocket, you can purchase that one-lakh-worth house immediately. You give ten thousand rupees down payment, and the bank will pay ninety thousand. And gradually, you take it. So there is so much facility that you can earn money. So the country's so like that. There is no economic problem. There is no poverty. Nobody is poverty-stricken. So these people, these boys and girls, American, they have not joined me on account of empty belly. No. They have not joined me . . . their belly's filled up. Not only that, they can send money for filling up your belly. They are sending money actually. Just today I have got . . . received information from the American Express. We have got eight . . . nine lakhs of rupees for spending here. So don't think that I am spending money from taking collection from here. No. My money is coming from America. You go to the American Express. Whatever we are spending, lakhs and lakhs of rupees here, in Bombay, in Māyāpur, in other places, I am getting contribution from there. This is a fact.

So still, it is darkness. It is darkness, that this world . . . unless you get information, this money will not save you unless you get information of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Here it is also said like that: tasya tvaṁ tamasaḥ andhasya duṣpārasyādya pāragam, sac-cakṣur janmanām ante. Janmanām ante. Janmanām. Janma is singular number, and janmanām is plural number. Many, many janma, many, many births we are spoiling in this darkness. We do not know that. The university education is blind, andha. They cannot give you this information that we are going to the university, we are spoiling our time simply. Spoiling, actually spoiling. What university education? They give some technical education, that śilpa-vidyā, to earn money and eat and sleep and have sex life and die. This is the education. This education is described here that duṣpārasya, andhasya duṣpārasya. This kind of education will not help us, because our sufferings are different.

Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, I was speaking to you, he was minister. He had enough money. When he retired, he came to home bringing money with him, one big boat full with golden coins. Just imagine: big, big coins in those days, Asaraphi. It is . . . at that time it was eighty rupees' worth. Now there is no gold. Where is Asaraphi? It is paper only, one-rupee note. So, so Sanātana Gosvāmī, in those days . . . even we have seen in our childhood in India, there was gold coins available, any number you want. People used to purchase this guinea gold for making ornament. We have seen it. There was no . . . now you cannot get this guinea gold.

So that is all finished. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was very rich man. Still, he's asking Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre kaha e paṇḍita satya kori māni: "These foolish villagers, or my neighbor men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī.' " He was Brāhmiṇ. Actually he was paṇḍitajī. You know, in India, the Brāhmiṇ is addressed as "paṇḍita," because a Brāhmiṇ is expected to become very learned. A foolish man cannot be a Brāhmiṇ. Learned means Vedic knowledge. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. How one becomes brāhmaṇa? By studying thoroughly the Vedic literature, veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. Brahma janatiti brahmana. By reading the Vedic literature, when one can understand Brahman, he realizes himself ahaṁ brahmāsmi, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. Therefore a brāhmaṇa means naturally paṇḍita. But nowadays, simply by birth. That is another thing.

But Sanātana Gosvāmī was a great learned scholar in Urdu, Farsi, Sanskrit. And he was a very rich man, minister. Everything honorable, coming of a very respectable, aristocratic family, Sārasvata brāhmaṇa. But still, he says to Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre kaha e paṇḍita satya kore māni. "These, my neighborhood men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī', and I am very much satisfied that I am paṇḍita." "Why you are dissatisfied?" Now, he says, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I am such a paṇḍita that I do not know what is the goal of my life and what is real benefit for me. I am such a paṇḍita." That means "I am mūrkha. I do not know my own self-interest. I am simply being carried away by the sense gratificatory means." Therefore he came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He did not come to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to get some gold or some medicine for curing some disease, as people go, Bhagavān: "Bhagavān will give me some gold. Bhagavān will . . ." If you want to have gold, you can have. You can get a gold mine and get, as much as you like. Why you should go to a Bhagavān? So . . . but they do not know. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's disciple, this Sanātana Gosvāmī, he had enough gold. But he was not satisfied. He went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to take from Him that āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I do not know actually what is my self-interest. You please tell me." This is the real approach of guru. "So I have got You after many, many births. I have got Your contact. Kindly enlighten me, because I am thinking I am very learned, I am very rich, but actually I do not know my self-interest. I have therefore come to You."

So here also, Devahūti, the same principle. She says, tasya tvaṁ tamaso 'ndhasya duṣpārasyādya pāragam, sac-cakṣur janmanām ante: "My dear Kapila, You have come as my son, but You are my guru. You are guru because You can give me information how I can cross over the nescience of darkness of this material life." So one who is feeling the necessity of going across the dark nescience of material existence, he requires a guru. Not for curing some disease or getting a little portion of gold. That, that does not require that one should go to guru. Guru is required for whom? Just like Devahūti or Sanātana Gosvāmī. Those who are inqui . . . athāto brahma jijñāsā, those who are interested in the matter of Brahman. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). If one is interested to understand things which is beyond this darkness, he requires a guru. To keep guru is not a fashion, just like you keep a dog or a cat as a fashion. So things should not be done like that, that, "I have got a guru. I don't care for him. That's all. I give him some money; therefore he must be my servant." That kind of keeping guru is no use. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Uttamam. Here is called tamaḥ. Here is called tamaḥ. Tamaso, tamaso andhasya. Tamaḥ and uttama. Udgata tamam. If you can transcend this tamaḥ, this darkness, that is called uttama. We use this word, uttama . . . uttama means very good. Generally, we take. How it is very good? When it is transcendental, above this darkness, that is called uttama.

So one who is inquisitive to inquire about that portion of God's creation which is beyond this darkness—na tad sūryaḥ bhāsayate. There is description in the Upaniṣads and the Bhagavad-gītā. Uttama means there is another world, another nature. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20).

na tad bhāsayate sūryo

na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ

yad gatvā na nivartante

tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

(BG 15.6)

There is another world, but what the scientists have got information? They have no information, sufficient information of this material world. But there is another world, another nature. This nature, we can . . . although we cannot reach, there are millions and trillions of stars glittering in the evening. We can see simply. Simply we can see. We cannot go even to the moon star. Moon is also a star, nearest star. That's all. Similarly, all these stars, they are like moon. Nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī (BG 10.21). Kṛṣṇa says nakṣatrāṇām. They are nakṣatra. The nakṣatra, the modern science, they say they are all suns. No. They are like moon, glittering, if we have to believe our śāstra. Nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. So we cannot even go to the nearest planet, nearest star, and what to speak of going beyond? Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). The spiritual . . . there is spiritual sky, paravyoma. That is called paravyoma. This is called material vyoma, and . . . the vyoma means ākāśa.

So duṣpārasya . . . duṣpārasya. This material world is duṣpārasya, very, very difficult to cross over it. Therefore unless one understands what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is His position, where does He live, why our relation should be revived, then he's in darkness. He's darkness. But one can be enlightened by the mercy of God. Because Kṛṣṇa comes Himself to inform. He sends His devotee door to door. He leaves behind Him Bhagavad-gītā. But we are so foolish, we do not take advantage of it. We do not take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā. We do not take advantage of His devotee who are hankering after giving this knowledge, sacrificing everything. But we are so stubborn, dogs' obstinacy, that we'll not take advantage of them. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

The bhakti-latā-bīja, the seed of devotional service, is gotten by the most fortunate person. So those who are cultivating bhakti in this institution, they are the most fortunate person in the world. That is the statement of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

Bhramite. Therefore it is said, sac-cakṣur janmanām ante. This knowledge, this clue of bhakti-latā, is not so easily available. How it is available? It is . . . labdhaṁ me tvad-anugrahāt: "by Your mercy." By Kṛṣṇa's mercy, you can get the bhakti-latā-bīja. Not ordinarily.

yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ

janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

(BG 7.28)

Unless you are free from the reaction of all sinful life, you cannot understand what is bhakti, what is Bhagavān. Therefore puṇya-karmaṇām. Janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. We should act piously. Piously means we must first of all give up impious activities: illicit sex life, meat-eating, drinking and gambling. Then you can lead pious life. Then you can understand what is God. Mean, these things are . . . Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means training people to become pious to understand Kṛṣṇa and make his life successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)